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For the portion of people who believe that humanity is inherently good, this should be a no-brainer. This is an opportunity to share something that you have in abundance at no cost to yourself, to save a life in under 30 minutes. This is blood donation!

How much blood do I have to spare?

The average human body has approximately 5.1 litres of blood coursing through its veins on any given day. But what if I told you that on this very day, there is someone somewhere who is within an inch of their life and can be safely returned to their family, friends and dog named Mr Doodlepants if you donated only 480ml of your blood? Not only that, but this donation of less than 10% of your blood can be split into red blood cells, platelets and plasma to save not 1, not 2 but 3 lives.

Who handles my blood?

In South Africa, the organisation that has the colossal responsibility of managing blood donations, deposits and availability is called the South African National Blood Services (SANBS). They have several donation centres and can arrange a blood drive for communities, schools, universities, churches and other organisations, on request.

What is the donation process like?

All it takes to make a donation is that you:

1. Complete a questionnaire
2. Do a one-on-one interview with the nurse who will be administering the donation
3. Have your blood pressure and iron levels checked

Then you are ready to save a life. The blood donation process only takes 30 minutes!

When should I donate?

All ‘superheroes-without-capes’ can donate once every 56 days, but the SANBS only requests a commitment of 4 donations over a two-year period.

Why not save a life?

Questions regarding the good nature of humans are often posed in impossibly complex theoretical contexts that challenge the core moral fibre of a person, but mine is simple… What are you going to do with your spare 30 minutes this week?

• Binge watch some post-apocalypse series on Netflix?
• Scroll through the unrealistic lifestyles on Instagram?
• Rant about how terrible the world is on Twitter?
• Or find your nearest donation location and save a life?

Do the right thing!

Be the change that you want to see in the world and get a juice box and a cookie in the process. Who knows? That blood pumping through your heart might one day save your mother, brother, bestie or even your crush.

For more information, take a look at these frequently asked questions or contact the SANBS directly on:

Email: customerservice@sanbs.org.za

Call center: 0800 119 031